New appointments to strengthen Crossrail Board

Crossrail Limited today announced two new Non-Executive appointments to the Crossrail Board, strengthening it further to help deliver the major new railway for London and the south east.

Former Hong Kong MTR Managing Director Phil Gaffney and former Managing Director of TfL London Rail Ian Brown CBE will join the Board on 1 April 2011.

Crossrail Chairman Terry Morgan said:

“I’m delighted that Phil Gaffney and Ian Brown will be joining the Crossrail Board. Crossrail continues to make excellent progress and these two new appointments will bring considerable railway operations experience and help inform future decisions about signalling, timetabling and the integration of Crossrail services with the existing National Rail and Tube networks.

“Phil Gaffney has a wealth of experience from overseeing the operation of the Hong Kong MTR, one of the world’s busiest metro systems, and has extensive knowledge of delivering major infrastructure improvements and procuring new rail signalling technology.

“Ian Brown has vast railway experience and has successfully overseen the major upgrade and expansion of the Docklands Light Railway and London Overground including the £1bn transformation of the East London Line. His knowledge of railway operations in London and the south east is unparalleled.”

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Notes to Editors

Phil Gaffney retired from Hong Kong MTR Corporation Ltd. as Managing Director – Operations and Business Development in 2005. After initial training as a Signalling Engineer with British Railways and positions in Scotland and London, Phil Gaffney moved to Hong Kong MTR in 1977. During 28 years with Hong Kong MTR he held various Engineering positions before being appointed as Chief Engineer Operations in 1993. As Operations Director, from 1998 to 2003, he formulated and implemented a major initiative to improve reliability to the railway and reduce operational costs. This was achieved successfully, with MTR becoming one of the most reliable and efficient metro systems in the world. He played a major part in the part privatisation of the company and its listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Phil Gaffney now acts as an independent engineering consultant to the rail industry.

Ian Brown CBE stepped down as Managing Director of TfL London Rail in November 2010 to take up an advisory role on London Rail and Crossrail and will officially retire from Transport for London on 31 March 2011. In a career spanning over 40 years, Ian has made an outstanding contribution to public transport and the rail industry. His achievements include transformation of the Docklands Light Railway, establishment of London Overground, the major extension of the East London Line, the integration of Croydon Tramlink into TfL and the expansion of Oyster pay as you go to all National Rail stations in Greater London. Ian Brown was honoured with a CBE in the recent Queen’s New Year Honour list for services to the railway industry.

About Crossrail

Crossrail will run 118 km from Maidenhead and Heathrow in the west, through new twin-bore 21 km tunnels under central London to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. It will bring an additional 1.5 million people within 45 minutes commuting distance of London's key business districts.

When Crossrail opens it will increase London's rail-based transport network capacity by 10%, supporting regeneration across the capital, helping to secure London's position as a world leading financial centre, and cutting journey times across the city.

Crossrail will deliver substantial economic benefits for all of London and the South East. Latest economic forecasts suggest that Crossrail will add £42bn to the economy, resulting in a £17bn tax boost for the Treasury. Previous estimates were that Crossrail would deliver up to a £36bn boost to the UK economy.

Crossrail is being delivered by Crossrail Limited (CRL). CRL is a wholly owned subsidiary of Transport for London. Crossrail is jointly sponsored by the Department for Transport and Transport for London.